Best 15+ Methods to Fix “USB Not Recognized Windows 10” Error

USB Not Recognized Windows 10

A “USB not recognized Windows 10” issue may happen at the most unexpected time, so you have to be prepared to fix it at any given time it occurs to your Windows 10 PC. If you use a USB device on a daily basis, you should expect the situation where a Windows 10 PC cannot recognize your device. Since this case often happens, you can find many methods online to fix it. Luckily for you, we have curated the most effective methods to fix the “USB not recognized” error on Windows 10 in this article. All you have to do is sit tight and pay attention to our brief explanation about “USB not recognized” error as well as the methods to fix it.

Since most offices or workplaces use Windows 10 operating system nowadays, a lot of office workers tend to find the working methods to fix every error which may happen. For someone who uses a USB device to store her data and carries it everywhere, she goes, finding the Windows 10 PC which cannot recognize it may cause a problem. If you experience this type of error when inserting your USB device to a Windows 10 PC, you must not worry. A couple of fixes and tweaks shall do the job for you.


USB Not Recognized on Windows 10

USB Not Recognized on Windows 10

As one of the errors which occur the most on Windows 10 PC, USB not recognized has gathered the attention for many users. USB devices, as you may know, play a significant role in storing data. Many students or workers often save their important files inside a tiny USB device, so they can access the files at any PCs they can find.

Additionally, a USB device can also be used to store data from outside sources and be moved to your own Windows 10 PC. That is why it is important for a Windows 10 PC to recognize a USB device at any given time.

Since this error can be a nuisance for anyone who carries their works within a tiny USB device, you must know the methods to fix it. Two devices may experience a misconfiguration as the Windows system cannot detect the USB drive.

In this case, you may see a variety of error messages regarding the USB issues on Windows 10. Some of the messages may appear as follows:

1. USB not detected, not showing up Windows 10.

2. USB drive not showing up Windows 10.

3. External hard drive not recognized Windows 10.

4. Windows USB not working.

5. Windows USB ports not working.

In case you see any of the messages above, make sure to check the causes of each of them first. Similarly to any Windows errors, such as Windows Modules Installer Worker and Windows Update issues, many factors can contribute to such errors. Usually, you can fix the errors by resetting a certain setting in the system. Other than that, you can also try to update the outdated drivers as well as keeping the Windows 10 system updated. In addition to the software repairing methods, you can also try to check the USB port and the cable. Make sure the devices are properly connected to each other. If you have checked all of those and the problem still persists, then you can try to perform the right method to fix the “USB not recognized” on Windows 10 in the section below.


Methods to Fix “USB Not Recognized” Error on Windows 10

Since the USB device is essential to your daily life, then one error in inserting the USB drive to a Windows 10 PC can cause a pushback to your daily activity. In case this error occurs, you can try to check the USB port and cable connecting the two devices. If you find the USB port and cable do not contribute to the error, then you can try to perform the right method to fix it.

In order to fix “USB not recognized” error on Windows 10, you can take a look at the methods we have curated below. See if one of the methods below can do the job for you.


Disabling Fast Startup in Windows 10

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Since Windows 10 has a fast startup feature, it may cause the error in one of Windows services. In this case, you can see the error in the way the Windows 10 system cannot recognize your USB device. In order to fix the “USB device not recognized” error on Windows 10 PC, you can disable the fast startup feature by following the steps below.

Step 1: Head to the Control Panel by searching for it in the Windows search box.

Step 2: Once you get to the Control Panel, you can click on the section Hardware and Sound.

Step 3: Afterward, you can go to the section “Power Options”.

Step 4: On the Power Options window, proceed to choose the option “Choose what the power button does”.

Step 5: Then, you can click on the option “Change settings that are currently unavailable”.

Step 6: Proceed to select the option “Fast-Startup” and disable it.

Step 7: Once you disable the Fast Startup, you can click Apply and OK to save the changes.

Step 8: At last, you can restart your Windows 10 PC. See if the Windows 10 PC can finally recognize your USB device.


Updating Drivers or Installing Default Drivers

In some cases of Windows errors, outdated drivers often become the causes of them all. If you find the “USB not recognized” error on your Windows 10 PC, then you can try to update those drivers on your PC first. Alternatively, you can uninstall the problematic drivers and get the Windows 10 system to install the default drivers in return. In order to perform this method, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1: Proceed to open the Device Manager by pressing Windows and X buttons at the same time. Then, you can choose the option “Device Manager” from the list on the display.

Step 2: Once the Device Manager window opens, head to the “Disk drives” section.

Step 3: Proceed to right-click on the USB hard drive currently intact on your Windows 10 PC.

Step 4: Then, select the option “Uninstall device”.

Step 5: Once the uninstallation process finishes, you can restart your Windows 10 PC.

Step 6: Plugin your USB drive once more once the Windows 10 PC turns back on.


Updating Drivers Automatically

Updating Drivers Automatically

There is another simple way to update Windows drivers without having to check in on each of them manually. If you wish to make sure every driver on your Windows 10 system is updated, then you can use the best driver updater.


Partitioning the USB Storage

What you can do to fix the “USB device not recognized” error on Windows 10 PC is to partition your USB storage. In order to do this method, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1: Proceed to press Windows and S buttons at the same time.

Step 2: Then, you can type “Computer Management” and select the option “Computer Management” from the search list.

Step 3: Once you get to the “Computer Management” window, click on the option “Disk Management”.

Step 4: Afterward, you can locate your USB drive.

Step 5: You can check the particular size of your USB drive on the “Disk Management” window.

Step 6: If you see a drive with “Unallocated space”, then it means your drive has not been partitioned yet.

Step 7: To partition it, proceed to right-click on the drive and choose the option “New Simple Volume”.

Step 8: Make sure to do all the instructions displayed on the screen to finish the partitioning process of your hard drive.


Giving A Letter to USB Drive

Other than partitioning your USB drive, you can also give a letter to it to fix the “USB device not recognized” error on Windows 10 PC. In order to do this method, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1: Proceed to go to “Computer Management” at once.

Step 2: Then, you can head to the “Disk Management” section.

Step 3: Locate your USB drive and right-click on it.

Step 4: Proceed to select the option “Change Drive Letter and Paths”.

Step 5: Then, you can click on the option “Add” and give a letter to it.

Step 6: Make sure your USB drive operates with NTFS file system. If you use a USB drive with a format other than NTFS and FAT32, Windows 10 will not be able to detect your USB drive.


Uninstalling Hidden Devices from Device Manager

Usually, the hidden devices in your Windows system may trigger the “USB device not recognized” error. You can simply find them and uninstall them to fix it. In order to do so, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1: Proceed to press Windows and R buttons at the same time.

Step 2: Afterward, you can type cmd and press Enter or click OK.

Step 3: Once the Command Prompt window appears, you can type the commands below and press Enter.

set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1

cd

cd windowssystem32

start devmgmt.msc

Step 4: At once, the Device Manager window will appear.

Step 5: Proceed to select the option View and choose the option “Show hidden devices”.

Step 6: Then, you can expand every section available and remove each one of the grayed out entries.

Step 7: Once the deleting process finishes, you can restart your Windows 10 PC.

Step 8: At last, you can plug your USB drive again and see if the Windows 10 PC can recognize it.


Removing Problematic Device and Giving Different Letter to It

Step 1: Proceed to go to the Device Manager and head to the Universal Serial Bus controllers.

Step 2: Once you get to the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” section, you can expand it.

Step 3: Proceed to locate the option “Unrecognized device”.

Step 4: Then, you can right-click on it and select the option “Uninstall device”.

Step 5: Make sure to choose the option “Scan for hardware changes” afterward.

Step 6: Then, you can close the Device Manager window.

Step 7: Head to the Computer Management window by pressing Windows and S buttons at the same time. Search for Computer Management on the search box at once.

Step 8: Among the search result, you can click on the option “Computer Management” and head to the option “Disk Management”.

Step 9: Proceed to locate your USB storage and right-click on it.

Step 10: Select the option “Change Drive Letter and Paths”.

Step 11: Then, you can click on the option “Change” and give out a new letter to your USB drive.


Connecting USB Drive to Another USB Port

Connecting USB Drive to Another USB Port

If your USB drive cannot be recognized on your Windows 10 PC, then you can try to connect it to another USB port on your PC. Try to see if it works.


Removing USB Drive’s Letter by Using the Diskpart Tool

Step 1: Proceed to open the Run box by pressing Windows and R buttons at the same time.

Step 2: Afterward, you can type diskpart in the Run box and press Enter or click OK to open it.

Step 3: After the Command Prompt window appears.

Step 4: Then, you can list the volume and press Enter to begin operating the command.

Step 5: Afterward, you can find the USB storage on the list.

Step 6: Then, you can choose the option “volume x” or any kind of a number of the volume, then you can press Enter.

Step 7: Afterward, you can give out the letter which has not been used yet and press Enter.

Step 8: At last, you can close the Command Prompt wind and check if the “USB device not recognized” error has been fixed.


Methods to Fix “USB Keyboard Not Recognized” on Windows 10

Just like any USB drives, the USB keyboard attached on your Windows 10 PC can also experience the “USB device not recognized” error. Usually, this type of error can be found in a Windows 10 PC and not a laptop. It mostly happens when the USB cable of the keyboard is unplugged from the PC.

In order to fix it, you can take a look at the methods we have curated below. See if one of them can fix the problem for you.


Disabling Fast Startup

Due to the Fast Startup feature, the “USB not recognized” issue can often occur. Just like any USB drive, the USB keyboard can also be affected by this. Usually, the Fast Startup can take up much space of the Windows processing. In return, this can affect the inability of your Windows 10 PC to recognize your USB device. You can try to disable the Fast Startup and see if the “USB not recognized” error on Windows 10 can be fixed.


Using PS/2 Keyboard to Fix “USB Device Not Recognized” Error

Using PS-2 Keyboard

When your USB keyboards cannot be recognized by your Windows 10 PC, then you can try to change it to PS/2 keyboard. Alternatively, you can use another USB port or PS/2 adapter in the meantime.


Deleting Problematic Keyboard Drivers from Device Manager

In case your Windows 10 PC cannot recognize the USB keyboard, you can try to delete some unproblematic files from the “Device Manager” window. Sometimes, Windows 10 system may confuse the multiple keyboard drivers within your Windows system. In order to delete the problematic drivers of your keyboard, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1: Proceed to go to the Device Manager window.

Step 2: Then, you can locate your keyboard drivers.

Step 3: Afterward, you can delete the multiple keyboards by right-clicking on all the drivers and selecting the option “Uninstall” from the list of options.

Step 4: At last, you can restart your Windows 10 PC and see if the “USB not recognized” error has been solved or not.


Enabling Your Keyboard

If the USB controllers fail to enable your keyboard, then this may be the reason why the Windows 10 PC cannot recognize it. In order to fix this problem, you can proceed to open the Device Manager. Then, you can locate the disabled USB controller and right-click on it. From then on, you can choose the option “Enable”. Try to use your keyboard again and see if it works.


Restarting Windows 10 PC and Removing the Battery

Just like many Windows errors, you can always try to restart your Windows 10 PC to solve every issue. If you see your keyboard USB device not recognized on Windows 10 PC, then you can try to restart your PC first. Other than that, you can also try to remove the battery to fix this issue. Wait for a couple of minutes before you turn your Windows 10 PC back on again and see if this method can fix the “USB device not recognized”.


Reconnecting USB Keyboard

If you cannot connect your USB keyboard with one port, then you can try to connect it through another port. You can also try to plug and unplug the device to fix the “USB device not recognized” issue on Windows 10 PC.


Checking Keyboard Power Management Settings

Checking Keyboard Power Management Settings

Step 1: Proceed to go to the “Device Manager”.

Step 2: Then, you can find the USB keyboard currently connected to your Windows 10 PC.

Step 3: Head to the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” or “Human Interface Devices” section to find the said device.

Step 4: Once you finish locating your keyboard, you can right-click on it and select the option “Properties”.

Step 5: Head to the Power Management tab and uncheck the box next to the option “Allow the computer to turn off the device to save power”.

Step 6: Afterward, you can click Apply and OK to save the changes.

Step 7: At last, you can restart your Windows 10 PC to apply the changes.

Step 8: Plugin your USB keyboard again and see if the Windows 10 PC can recognize it.


Disabling USB3 Support from BIOS

Step 1: To enter your PC’s BIOS, you can press F2, F8 or Del in the middle of the booting process.

Step 2: Once the BIOS window appears, you can head to the “Advanced Settings” and proceed to the “USB configuration” section.

Step 3: Make sure to disable the USB3 support and click Apply and OK to save the changes.

Step 4: If the Windows 10 PC still cannot recognize the USB keyboard, then you can plug in the cable to another USB port.

Step 5: In case the problem still continues, then you can head back to Device Manager.

Step 6: Look at the “USB Controllers” section.

Step 7: Proceed to locate the USB device with an exclamation mark and right-click on it.

Step 8: Then, you can choose the option “Disable”.

Step 9: Afterward, you can right-click on the same controller and select the option “Enable”.


Uninstalling Antivirus

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If you have a third-party antivirus in your Windows 10 PC, you can try to uninstall it to fix the “USB not recognized” error. Most of the times, the third-party antivirus operation can affect the entire Windows system. As a result, many errors can happen suddenly. You can try to update the antivirus or uninstall it to prevent any more issues. Alternatively, you can use another antivirus which may not potentially clash with your Windows 10 system.


Updating Chipset Drivers

Updating Chipset Drivers

If your Windows 10 PC cannot recognize the USB keyboard, then you can check on the USB ports. The problem can happen because of the outdated chipset drivers. If you wish to fix the “USB keyboard device not recognized” issue, you can try to download the most recent version of the chipset driver on your Windows 10 PC. Wait until the downloading process finishes. Afterward, you can install the driver and see if the “USB device not recognized” error still occurs on your Windows 10 PC.


Methods to Fix “USB Printer Not Recognized” Error on Windows 10

Just like any USB device error, your printer can also be affected by this issue. Due to the conflicts within the system, your USB printer device cannot be recognized. If you use a wireless USB printer, then this problem will not appear on your Windows 10 PC. In order to fix this error, you can try to perform one of the methods we have curated below.


Downloading and Running Printer Troubleshooter

If you wish to fix the USB printer device not recognized the error, you can try to run Microsoft’s Printer Troubleshooter. The process is automatic and you just need to wait for a couple of minutes until the “USB device not recognized” error has been fixed.


Adding Printer Manually

In case the Troubleshooter does not work to solve the “USB not recognized” issue on your Windows 10 PC, you can try to manually add your printer driver. In order to perform this method, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1: Proceed to open the Control Panel and choose the option “Devices and Printers”.

Step 2: Then, you can select the option “Add printer”.

Step 3: Proceed to choose the option “The printer that I want isn’t listed”.

Step 4: Afterward, you can select the option “Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings” and proceed to click on the Next button.

Step 5: Then, you can choose the option “Use an existing port: USB0001”.

Step 6: Proceed to click on Next to continue.

Step 7: Afterward, you can choose the brand and the model of your printer.

Step 8: Then, you can click Next to continue.

Step 9: Proceed to choose the option “Use the driver that is currently installed (recommended)”.

Step 10: Afterward, you can type the name for your printer.


Downloading The Most Recent Update of Your Printer’s Drivers

The outdated drivers can affect your device not being recognized on your Windows 10 PC. In order to fix this error, you can try to download the most recent updates for your printer’s drivers. Once the installation process finishes, check if the “USB device not recognized” error on Windows 10 has been fixed or not.


Methods to Fix “USB Ports Not Recognized” on Windows 10

Other than USB device not recognized, your Windows 10 PC can also experience “USB ports not recognized” error. In order to fix this error, you can follow the steps below.


Reconnecting the USB Device on Windows 10 Ports

When it comes to an error in USB ports, you have to make sure to reconnect your USB devices first before performing any methods. You can try to disconnect your USB device for a while. After a couple of minutes, you can try to reconnect it back to the same USB port.


Installing Drivers for Generic USB Hub

Step 1: Proceed to open Device Manager and find the Generic USB Hub.

Step 2: Afterward, you can right-click on it and select the option “Update driver”.

Step 3: Then, you can select the option “Browse my computer for driver software”.

Step 4: Proceed to choose the option “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer”.

Step 5: Afterward, you can choose the option “Generic USB Hub” and click Next to continue.


Checking on Power Management for USB Root Hub

In case your Windows 10 PC cannot recognize the USB ports, you can try to check on the power management settings for USB Root Hub. In order to fix this problem, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1: At once, you can open the “Device Manager” window.

Step 2: Then, you can go to the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” section and locate the USB Root Hub.

Step 3: Keep in mind to repeat the steps as follows if you have multiple USB Root Hubs.

Step 4: Proceed to right-click on the USB Root Hub and select the option “Properties”.

Step 5: Head to the Power Management section and uncheck the box next to the option “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”.

Step 6: At last, you can save the changes.

Step 7: Make sure to do the above steps for all USB Root Hubs on the display.


Modifying USB Selective Suspend Settings

Step 1: Proceed to open the Control Panel and head to the “Power Options” section.

Step 2: Select the currently selected plan and click on the option “Change plan settings”.

Step 3: Then, you can select the option “Change advanced power settings”.

Step 4: Afterward, you can head to the section “USB Settings”.

Step 5: Then, you can go to the “USB selective suspend setting” and modify it to “Disabled” for all entries.

Step 6: Afterward, you can click Apply and OK to save and apply the changes.

Written by Vlad Akilov

The former owner of The Blog Joint, that t is a blog about all technology news in the world, it will include funny and interesting stories and reviews. Also some useful links and stories from other blogs that we find that the readers would like to know about and might even learn from.